Naked and Afraid season 17 episode 5: Bride-to-be partners with a newlywed to survive 21 days in Colombia 

Naked and Afraid season 17 returned to Discovery Channel with episode 5 on Sunday, March 17. Previously, viewers were introduced to survivalists Sam and Sarah, who spent 21 days in a South African jungle in episode 4. Now, the brand new installment, titled Runaway Bride, witnessed the arrival of two more strangers, Sunny and Steven, on the reality TV show.

What made their journey garner much traction among viewers was that one of them was a bride-to-be and another a newlywed husband. The two strangers were left behind in the wilderness of Columbia to strive and survive for 21 days with no clothes and minimal tools. The official description of Naked and Afraid season 17 episode 5 reads:

“A survivalist postpones her wedding to try to make it to 21 days with a British commando in the mosquito-infested Colombian tropics.”

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Meet Sunny and Steven from Naked and Afraid

Steven made his entrance into the Columbian tropics by riding on a motorboat and expressing concern about the mosquito-infested area. He admitted to being scared of getting eaten alive by insects in the wilderness. Steven told the cameras:

“This is an absolute harsh environment full of insects. We’re not meant to be naked in this environment.”

The newly introduced survivalist was a newlywed, who said his wife was quite supportive of him joining the reality show.

“My wife is very supportive of this journey. She knows this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Referencing his recent marriage, Steven joked that his time in the Columbian jungle felt like a honeymoon to him, which “absolutely freaked” him out. Nevertheless, he was excited and ready to embrace the journey. On the other hand, Sunny seemed unsettled about Columbia’s beauty that entices people but in reality, was a dangerous affair. She explained:

“Columbia, her beauty with draw you in but this is going to be quite sketchy. I really don’t think there’s any way that’s going to be safe. This is absolutely not where I expected to be a few months ago.”

Sunny also revealed she had her wedding scheduled just a day after she began filming for Naked and Afraid season 17 episode 5. Her fiancé supported her by pushing the marriage date ahead.

“I was actually scheduled to be getting married tomorrow and my wonderful fiancé said ‘What wedding?’ we’ll move everything back. We’re going to make this happen. So, instead of getting married tomorrow, I’m actually going to be naked with a stranger marching off into the jungle. We’ll see how that goes.”

Sunny and Steven’s journey began on an easy note with the strangers enjoying sips of peppermint tea on the second day. It was Sunny who spotted the peppermint leaves in the jungle and offered it to her English partner as an “unexpected wonderful surprise.”

She also encouraged Steven to take the first sip of the quickly-made charcoal peppermint tea, leaving the latter relieved and rejoiced. The newlywed told the cameras:

“It’s funny me as an Englishman I do love a cup of tea and my wife Jennifer brings me a cup of tea on a daily basis. I love them. So, then Sunny walks in with peppermint. So that’s what just lifted my morale. Instead of drinking hot water, I’m going to drink peppermint tea like a proper Englishman in the Columbian jungle.”

As their journey progressed, the duo collaborated to catch fish and hunt for food. At one point, it appeared they were struggling to finish the journey but braving the harsh patch, Sunny and Steven managed to survive 21 days in the Columbian wilderness. Many viewers lauded their journey on social media.

The show will return with two new survivalists in the next episode of Naked and Afraid, titled Put Up or Shut Up, whose official description reads:

“Two Naked and Afraid superfan critics use their armchair survival knowledge to try to endure fourteen days in the jungles of Colombia.”

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Naked and Afraid season 17 will air episode 6 on Sunday, March 24.